Hey all, been a long-time reader here, but never much of a poster. With the season coming to an end, I thought it would be a interesting exercise to challenge AI to come up with a list of potential transfer targets. Obviously, no one has entered their name into the portal yet, so it's a purely fun, speculative exercise to see how well AI can scout talent.
Methodology
I used a few models (ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, and Gemini) to see if there was any variation in players they recommended, and each one gave a different list of players. Of course, this is AI, so it's prone to errors and hallucinations, so I reviewed results eliminate any obvious errors such as lack of eligibility. For example, ChatGPT recommended Bez Mbeng from Yale, the 2x Ivy DPOY, who will no longer have eligibility after this season.
Results
Here's the list of interesting players, according to AI, and curated by me, someone with no business assessing these players. Just putting this out here for discussion. Overall, I think AI did an okay job of pulling players from the non-major conferences, but in reality, not sure how many of these guys are realistic gets / would even consider transferring. AI was noticeably lacking in trying to search for centers, as I tried prompting it differently and it spat out the same results each time.
All stats from 2024-2025 season
Methodology
I used a few models (ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, and Gemini) to see if there was any variation in players they recommended, and each one gave a different list of players. Of course, this is AI, so it's prone to errors and hallucinations, so I reviewed results eliminate any obvious errors such as lack of eligibility. For example, ChatGPT recommended Bez Mbeng from Yale, the 2x Ivy DPOY, who will no longer have eligibility after this season.
Results
Here's the list of interesting players, according to AI, and curated by me, someone with no business assessing these players. Just putting this out here for discussion. Overall, I think AI did an okay job of pulling players from the non-major conferences, but in reality, not sure how many of these guys are realistic gets / would even consider transferring. AI was noticeably lacking in trying to search for centers, as I tried prompting it differently and it spat out the same results each time.
All stats from 2024-2025 season
| Player | Position | Ht / Wt | School (Conference) | Year in School (as of '24-'25) | Years of Eligibility Remaining Going into Next Season | GP | PTS | FG % | 3 PT % | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | Prior Honors | AI Summary |
| Jaron Pierre Jr | G | 6'5" / 208lb | Jacksonville State (CUSA) | RS-Sr | 1 (had a COVID year and a transfer RS year) | 31 | 21.8 | 42.7% | 39.4% | 5.4 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.8 | Not announced yet | Pierre Jr. is known for his explosive scoring ability and defensive prowess. His experience and skill set align well with Northwestern's need for a sharpshooter who can also contribute defensively. |
| Quimari Peterson | G | 6'1" / 190lb | East Tennessee State (SoCon) | Sr | 1? (Transferred to JuCo for 1 year, and has only played 3 other seasons) | 32 | 19.5 | 46.8% | 42.2% | 4.5 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 2.2 | SoCon POY, 1st Team All SoCon, 1st Team SoCon All Tournament | Peterson's playmaking abilities and defensive tenacity make him a strong candidate to enhance Northwestern's backcourt. |
| Marquel Sutton | F | 6'9" / 225 | Omaha (Summit) | Sr | 1? (Started at JuCo for 1 year, played 3 other seasons) | 33 | 19.1 | 48.6% | 30.4% | 7.7 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | Summit League POY, 1st Team All Summit | Sutton's versatility and scoring prowess make him a valuable asset for Northwestern's wing position. |
| Alvaro Folgueieras | F | 6'9" / 215 | Robert Morris (Horizon) | So | 2 | 32 | 14.2 | 55.9% | 41.1% | 9.3 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.2 | Horizon POY, 1st Team All Horizon | Folgueiras' defensive presence and rebounding skills address Northwestern's need for a strong center. |
| Davion Bradford | C | 7'0 / 265 | East Tennessee State (SoCon) | Sr | 1 (sat out '23-'24 season due to second transfer) | 25 | 2.5 | 52.4% | - | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.9 | Bradford's imposing 7-foot, 265-pound frame and defensive prowess make him a formidable presence in the paint. His experience in the SoCon and ability to protect the rim would address Northwestern's need for a strong interior defender. | |
| Matthew van Komen | C | 7'4 / 260 | Elon (CAA) | Grad | 2??? Injured throughout career, played 9 games for Utah in '19-'20(!), 13 games for St. Mary in '20-'21, transferred to D2 Hawaii Pacific where he didn't play until '23-'24, first full season for Elon in '24-'25 | 31 | 6.2 | 72.6% | - | 8.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 1.4 | CAA All Defensive | Standing at 7-foot-4, Van Komen's shot-blocking ability and experience bring a unique defensive advantage. His journey through various programs has culminated in a standout season at Elon, showcasing resilience and leadership that would benefit Northwestern's frontcourt. |
